Cape Town – The legal battle over Chidimma Adetshina’s South African citizenship has been postponed until February 2027, as members of Operation Dudula and March and March protested outside the Cape Town Regional Court on Wednesday.
The groups called for Adetshina to leave South Africa as the Department of Home Affairs pursues her detention and deportation amid a dispute over her citizenship status.
According to The South African, Magistrate Jane Kgorane postponed the matter as the court considers Adetshina’s application to the High Court challenging the decision affecting her South African citizenship.
The case follows a decision by the Department of Home Affairs to revoke Adetshina’s South African citizenship.
The department alleges that Adetshina’s South African citizenship documents, as well as those of her minor son, were obtained through identity fraud involving her mother.
Home Affairs maintains that Adetshina therefore does not have a valid legal basis or immigration status to remain in South Africa.
Adetshina has challenged the authorities’ position, arguing that she should not be held responsible for alleged actions committed by her mother when registering her birth.
Speaking outside the court, Operation Dudula interim president Zodwa Booi called for Adetshina to leave South Africa and said she should be treated in the same way as other people whose immigration status is disputed.
Speaking to eNCA, Booi said Adetshina should leave the country and apply for the appropriate documentation if she wanted to return.
“She needs to leave our country and come back, or she must apply for proper documentation,” Booi said.
Booi also criticised the decision to postpone the matter until February, arguing that Adetshina should leave South Africa while the legal process continues.
Operation Dudula’s interim president, Zodwa Booi, wants Chidimma Adetshina deported and treated like any other illegal migrant. Adetshina is contesting her immigration status, with the matter postponed to 23 February 2027. Tune in to #eNCA #DStv403. pic.twitter.com/HYS332lO7s
— eNCA (@eNCA) August 19, 2026
“We are saying she must go back. She must be deported from this country,” she said.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Adetshina defended her decision to challenge the authorities and said she remained committed to using legal channels to resolve her citizenship status.
She said she was born in South Africa and believed she had been treated unfairly and targeted during the dispute.
“South Africa is governed by the rule of law, and we should not allow xenophobia and misinformation to determine how people are going to be treated,” Adetshina said.
She said she would continue to respect the legal process and thanked her family, friends, supporters, and legal representatives for their support.
[WATCH] “I believe I have been treated unfairly and targeted and there has been an attempt to make me an example,” Chidimma Adetshina tells journalists after the Cape Town Regional Court postponed her case in which she challenges her potential deportation and detention.… pic.twitter.com/EHCzO6Ke1f
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 19, 2026
“I have availed myself of all appropriate legal recourse, and I will continue to respect and abide by each process,” she said.
The legal dispute will now continue while Adetshina challenges the decision affecting her South African citizenship.
The matter is expected to return to court in February 2027.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
